Capgemini, one of the global leaders in consulting, IT services and outsourcing, has entered into exclusive negotiations with the funds managed by Apax Partners and the Prosodie management team with a view to acquiring Prosodie, the multi-channel services operator.

This acquisition would enable Capgemini to round out its services offer in the dynamic client-relationship solutions market. It would be a perfect fit for the Group’s growth strategy in new IT operating business models (NBM). This involves Capgemini building, alongside existing services, a proprietary solutions offer. In spite of the economic crisis, Prosodie has delivered steady organic growth and strongly increased its profits over the past four years.

The acquisition would be done based on an enterprise value of €382 million, including the cost of two recently-announced acquisitions, Internet-Fr in France and LevelIP in Italy. The transaction would be financed in cash from the Group’s net cash balance and would be accretive to net earnings per share from the first year.

Capgemini France and Prosodie are currently in the process of informing and consulting with employee representatives. Authorization will be sought from the French competition authorities. The transaction is expected to be finalized by the end of July.